Mica containing cylinders have been used for many years as electrical insulating structures such as standoffs. Typically, such mica cylinders are composite structures formed by impregnating mica sheeting with a polymeric binding agent and wrapping the sheeting about a form. The mica cylinder is then heated to cure the binder and form the cylinder. Such articles have good dielectric strength, heat stability and are relatively inexpensive. However, these mica products are susceptible to attack by moisture, are relatively easy to fracture, and are not always uniform in thickness or dimensionally stable at high temperatures. In addition, such mica products are not stain resistant and have relatively poor machinability characteristics.
Therefore, what is needed in the art are mica composite cylinders which overcome such problems.